The Hero Lost: Mysteries of Death and Life anthology will be released on May 2nd. If you'd like to help get the word out, you can sign up to participate in the blog tour here.
In honor of the anthology, I'll be spotlighting different contributors between now and its release in May. Today's blog post features fellow author Renee Cheung, who contributed the story "Memoirs of a Forgotten Knight" to the anthology.
In honor of the anthology, I'll be spotlighting different contributors between now and its release in May. Today's blog post features fellow author Renee Cheung, who contributed the story "Memoirs of a Forgotten Knight" to the anthology.
Interview with Renee Cheung
Do you have any tips for getting work done around other obligations? Do you have a writing routine you’d like to share? Any fun/useful writing habits? Any advice for other writers?
I used to write on my laptop balancing my napping baby but he has gotten a little too big for that now. So out of necessity, I have started writing on my phone and it has completely changed the way I write. I was pretty skeptical at first when a friend told me he wrote on his phone but now I live by it. I have a One Plus Three (yes, why not just call it Four, haha, joke’s been done by my husband more times than I can count) and I have been writing my latest novel using the Google Docs app on it. Although I went into it thinking it would slow me down since I’m a fairly fast typer, I found writing on the phone surprisingly quick. The autocorrect has even learned my character’s names and does autocomplete on them!
Writing on the phone has freed me up to write pretty much anywhere, from waiting for my appointment at the doctor’s office, to on the go as a passenger in the car. It has also made me focus on writing. I haven’t gotten to editing yet but what little I’ve done seems to be much more difficult. This has forced me to forge ahead with the story, rather than going back to endlessly edit what’s already been written. On a good day, I can get about 2000 words in now and I definitely urge you to give it a shot.
Of course, using Google Drive and Google Docs means I can switch seamlessly between machines, whether it be computer, laptop or phone. I urge anyone to give it a shot.
I used to write on my laptop balancing my napping baby but he has gotten a little too big for that now. So out of necessity, I have started writing on my phone and it has completely changed the way I write. I was pretty skeptical at first when a friend told me he wrote on his phone but now I live by it. I have a One Plus Three (yes, why not just call it Four, haha, joke’s been done by my husband more times than I can count) and I have been writing my latest novel using the Google Docs app on it. Although I went into it thinking it would slow me down since I’m a fairly fast typer, I found writing on the phone surprisingly quick. The autocorrect has even learned my character’s names and does autocomplete on them!
Writing on the phone has freed me up to write pretty much anywhere, from waiting for my appointment at the doctor’s office, to on the go as a passenger in the car. It has also made me focus on writing. I haven’t gotten to editing yet but what little I’ve done seems to be much more difficult. This has forced me to forge ahead with the story, rather than going back to endlessly edit what’s already been written. On a good day, I can get about 2000 words in now and I definitely urge you to give it a shot.
Of course, using Google Drive and Google Docs means I can switch seamlessly between machines, whether it be computer, laptop or phone. I urge anyone to give it a shot.
What do you like to write about or what drew you to this anthology? Is there anything interesting about your background as a writer you’d like to share?
I’m a recovering workholic. So working full-time left little time for creative outlets like writing. I had promised myself that when I go on maternity leave, I would write a book, get something published for the joy of it. (Oh how innocent I was, imagining all the spare time I would have as a new parent. I can only laugh at my past self right now.) So around August last year, I started writing short stories, building a world through them piece by piece. When this contest came around, a story set in the world just popped into my head and the whole thing got away from me from there on.
I’m a recovering workholic. So working full-time left little time for creative outlets like writing. I had promised myself that when I go on maternity leave, I would write a book, get something published for the joy of it. (Oh how innocent I was, imagining all the spare time I would have as a new parent. I can only laugh at my past self right now.) So around August last year, I started writing short stories, building a world through them piece by piece. When this contest came around, a story set in the world just popped into my head and the whole thing got away from me from there on.
What’s your favorite recent book and/or one from your teen years or something from your to-read pile?
I can rave on and on about Charles de Lint who is my idol and my inspiration. His stories, set in Newford, got me through some pretty tough times and kept the wonder and magic alive in my adult head. But I don’t think I can talk about my favourite book without talking about The Singing Stone by Orla Melling. It was my first brush with Celtic mythology as a kid and I absolutely fell in love with all of it. Growing up, I began devouring any Celtic mythology text and to this day, it is still one of my passions. I must have read that book hundreds of times as by high school, it became my party trick that anyone can read one short quote from the book and I can tell exactly who said it. In fact, I wrote a fan letter and got a gorgeous card back from Orla Melling in return. I still have it and it makes me smile every time I read it.
I can rave on and on about Charles de Lint who is my idol and my inspiration. His stories, set in Newford, got me through some pretty tough times and kept the wonder and magic alive in my adult head. But I don’t think I can talk about my favourite book without talking about The Singing Stone by Orla Melling. It was my first brush with Celtic mythology as a kid and I absolutely fell in love with all of it. Growing up, I began devouring any Celtic mythology text and to this day, it is still one of my passions. I must have read that book hundreds of times as by high school, it became my party trick that anyone can read one short quote from the book and I can tell exactly who said it. In fact, I wrote a fan letter and got a gorgeous card back from Orla Melling in return. I still have it and it makes me smile every time I read it.
More about Renee Cheung:
Renee uses her years of experience as a developer to write about the what-ifs of magic and technology. When she is not suspiciously peering at her computer in between her writing, she can be found roaming the streets with her family or gaming (whether it’s video games, board games or table-top RPGs) with her similar-minded friends.
Renee uses her years of experience as a developer to write about the what-ifs of magic and technology. When she is not suspiciously peering at her computer in between her writing, she can be found roaming the streets with her family or gaming (whether it’s video games, board games or table-top RPGs) with her similar-minded friends.
You can connect with Renee on Web | Blog | Twitter | Facebook.
Learn more about the anthology on the Lost Hero website.
Learn more about the anthology on the Lost Hero website.
RSS Feed
